Close your eyes and imagine this: Black Democrat A has just beaten Republican Candidate X in South Carolina. He did it with an unprecedented coalition of blacks and whites. He did it while actively denouncing the politics of division. Republican Surrogate Y is asked what this means for the race, and he says:
Jesse Jackson won in South Carolina twice.
(Translation) Obama is only the black candidate and the black candidate always loses in the end.
How outraged are you? No seriously! How much would you want to spit on Republican Surrogate Y right now?
Try To Explain This - TPM
Racial division has been in the fabric of this country since its birth. 230 years! For the first time in our history, a national black candidate has transcended race. Regardless of our political views, this demands recognition as a historic moment in our nation's story. To see the Zeus of our party try to belittle this feat by lumping it in (entirely unfairly) with Jackson's quixotic candidacies is so maddening I want to physically tear up all the pride I once had in Bill Clinton. I want to go back in time and un-defend him against my parents and friends. I want to say "You know what, you were right." Not about his sex life being any concern of ours, but about the Clintons only looking out for themselves, and to hell with anybody they have to step on to get to the top.
This is just the cap on the end of a very revealing week. I can't tell you how drastically my opinion of Bill Clinton has fallen this month. I was already pretty sick of the guy's transparently dishonest attacks before tonight, but now that he's come out in favor of stuffing the racial-unity genie back in the bottle I think it's safe to say I will never forget this, and I will not forgive. There will be points in the future where I will be glad to have him on our side and I will appreciate his aggressive rhetoric when used against our enemies, but as of today his true nature is made clear to me: A self-serving Leviathan who is eager to deploy his considerable talents against racial unity if it serves the purpose of reclaiming power for him and his family.
Unbelievable.
I'll make a bold prediction: Neither the Republican nominee nor their spouse will say anything nearly as disgracefully dismissive of the black vote as Bill "Black candidates are losers" Clinton has said tonight.